1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connection-fighting type game machine with a display such as a liquid crystal display or the like, which is subjected to independent use, or to connected use with an opponent machine, and a corresponding connection-fighting type game method.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, portable game machines each having a display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or the like are now widespread. Game machines of this type include various games such as of shooting games, role playing games, and so on. Most of the above conventional game machines are supposed to be subjected to independent use, that is, played by only one player.
There is known a game machine for two persons"" use in which two players operate their operation input sections, respectively, to cause their own characters to fight against each other on the same screen; causing the outcome to be decided, increasing the level of the character which has gained a victory, and decreasing the level which has suffered a defeat.
The independent use type game machine with a display progresses the game with the built-in game contents of the game machine restricted, which causes the progressing manner of the game to be monotonous.
On the other hand, in the conventional fighting type game machine, two players operate their operation input sections, respectively, to cause their own characters to fight against each other on the same screen, thereby resulting in innumerable change of the progressing manner of the game. However, this game machine unexpectedly depends on the operation technique of the operation input section by the player, thereby making the game machine uninteresting for the player having a poor operation technique.
The invention has been made in view of the above problems. It is an object of the invention to provide a connection-fighting type game machine with a display and a connection-fighting type game method which provide a varying progress of the game, and provide added amusement.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the connection-fighting type game machine which is subjected to independent use, or to connected use with an opponent machine includes a growth processing section for letting a built-in character gain imaginary experience by an interactive operation of the player through an operation input section in the case of independent use. A storing section stores growth degree information of the characters grown by the growth processing section, and a connection terminal enables the direct connection with the opponent machine. An outcome processing section reads out the growth degree information of the character stored in the storing section reads out the growth degree information of the character stored in the storing section of the opponent machine, and causes the user""s character and the character for the opponent machine to fight against each other according to a predetermined fighting manner based on the growth degree information of the user""s character and the growth degree information of the opponent""s character to determine the outcome, in the case of the connected use with the opponent machine.
The game machine also includes a growth degree changing processing section for performing a growth degree changing processing of changing at least one of the growth degree of the character which has been judged to gain a victory and the growth degree of the character which has been judged to suffer a defeat, storing the growth degree information of the user""s character obtained after the growth degree changing processing in the user""s storing section, and storing the growth degree information of the opponent""s character obtained after the growth degree changing processing in the opponent""s storing section. A display section displays a growth progress of the user""s character according to an instruction from the user""s growth processing section and displays a fighting result according to an instruction from the growth degree changing processing section. Finally, a control section judges the connection state with the opponent machine, activates the growth processing section, inactivates the outcome processing section and the growth degree processing section of the user""s machine when judging that the machines are in the non-connection state, and inactivates the growth processing section and deciding the priority of performing the fight processing with the opponent machine when judging that the machines are in the connection state. The control section also activates the fight processing section and the growth degree changing processing section when the user""s machine is high in the priority of performing fight processing.
The growth degree information may include a level value corresponding to a total amount of the imaginary experience, and an attribute value which are determined according to experience amounts by the kinds of the imaginary experiences.
The control section may determine, if receiving a fight processing requirement from the operation input section of the user""s machine when not receiving a fight processing reserving requirement information from the opponent machine in the connection state with the opponent machine, that the user""s machine is high in the priority of executing fight processing, then informs a fight processing reserving requirement information to the opponent machine, to thereby activate the outcome processing section and the growth degree changing processing section of the user""s machine.
The growth degree changing processing section may be adapted to decrease the growth degree of the character for the user""s machine when there is no input from the operation input section during a predetermined time in the case of the independent use.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the connection-fighting type game method which is subjected to independent use, or to connected use with an opponent machine, includes a first step of letting a built-in character gain imaginary experience by an interactive operation of a player through an operation input section in the case of independent use; a second step of storing a growth degree information of the grown character; and a third step of performing the connection with the opponent machine. In a fourth step, a priority of executing a fight processing with the opponent machine is decided, and an outcome processing section and a growth degree changing processing section of the user""s machine are activated when the user""s machine is high in the priority of executing fight processing.
The method also includes a fifth step of reading out a growth degree information of the character for the user""s machine stored in the storing section of the user""s machine, reading out the growth degree information of the character stored in the storing section of the opponent machine, and causing the character for the user""s machine and the character for the opponent machine to fight against each other according to a predetermined fighting manner based on the growth degree information of the character for the user""s machine and the growth degree information of the character for the opponent machine to thereby determine the outcome.
Finally, in a sixth step, a growth degree changing processing of changing at least one of the growth degree of the character which has been judged to gain a victory and the growth degree of the character which has been judged to suffer a defeat is performed, along with storing the growth degree information of the character for the user""s machine obtained after the growth degree changing processing in the user""s machine, and storing the growth degree information of the character for the opponent machine obtained after the growth degree changing processing in the opponent machine.
According to such a connection-fighting type game machine with a display or such a connection-fighting type game method, a player can enjoy the conventional role playing game in the case of independent use, and then can fight with the character having the growth degree which is not known by itself in connected use with the opponent machine. Moreover, in this case, the outcome can be determined irrespective of the skill of the operation technique for the operation input section, so that all plays can enjoy the game.